BestCar/OnlyCar

In hindsight I also would go with a used engine or an upgrade to a 2.5. For one thing I had a perfectly good engine in it, and if it is going to make this valve sounding ticking with all the work then why spend all the money? Also, it just makes sense to get the newer model, more horses etc.

I really like the people at CCR. Rick is nice, and Jason is nice. They have been very kind to me. I don't know a whole lot about cars, but they are always willing to answer my questions and help me learn more. I had them re-manufacture an E82 for my 1988 Subaru. Ever since I had the engine put in (and they did the swap labor as well, I figured it was good to work with one set of people instead of the confusion of two garages since I am near-ish them anyway) it has had this tick/knock intermittently. Sometimes loud, and sometimes quiet. I did notice that one of the bolts on the valve cover gasket had the wrong seal and was leaking oil. Because I happened to have a new one that was right I swapped it out. I don't know if this was contributing to the sound. In any case though this is frustrating they have been very gracious about trying to resolve the problem. Initially I went in and they looked at the head and could not see the problem. Because it only does it the first few miles when it is cold it is not making the noise when arrive at the shop. Because it is my daily driver it took a while before I could leave it with them. They were patient and gracious working with my schedule and it is now at the shop....of course it doesn't want to make the damn noise for them. I do not know if this is because I changed out that bolt seal, or if it is because I live in the mountains where it is colder and a different climate than the shop is (it does it much more pronounced in cold weather). Or perhaps it is just to make my life more difficult. So far at the shop it only made a tiny and very fast resolving tick. *sigh*. I don't know. I am frustrated, but at the same time, they have never even heard the noise, (I did tape it for them), but they believe me, and are trying to resolve the problem.

Yes, I was looking for this video before, but with this title it always pulls up a mislabeled miles fox vid of a parkinglot meeting. What I want to know is -you know how on the roter there is bolted on a plate...maybe called the hub?...held on by four bolts, and through it go the lug nut studs. Why can't a person swap that out for one made with a five lug nut pattern instead of having to switch out a lot of parts to change over to five lug nut?

Wagonist Thanks for the valuable info. Where would one find where to buy a real and complete kit? I have already bought some pipe and two washers and longer but maybe I will switch it out for some larger stuff and try this system...

Gloyale: thanks.

PRWA 101. I will check McGuire bearings out! Gloyal: "4 lug EA wheel bearings are WAAAY easier than 5 lug. I can do them in 1/2 hour with a big punch and a hammer. Installing the axle takes one more hammer." I am thinking changing the axles will be easier...not necessarily the wheel bearings. but just for the sake of interest, do you take it all apart and press your wheel bearings in, or do you just use a big socket or something to hit against and pound them in? If you just pound them in how do you get the seal on the inside to go in and seat all the way? I wanted to use a flathead screwdriver and gently hammer mine in but I was afraid to and just put them on the new CVs and let them get pulled in, but now they are squeeling and I am going to have to sort it out again.

I should go five lug. The four lugs are a pain.

I put my wheel bearings in the freezer to try to get them to go on the axle because I am an Idiot and I thought that would make them contract and the hole in the middle bigger. It did not work. However, I did put them in a plastic bag in the freezer. thus keeping the freezer clean, and they are easier to handle with the grease cold and stiff it stays packed and does not get all over.

Maybe I will try that next time. It sounds like a good way to do it.

P.S. the reason I think it is making a funny noise is the lower ball joint. I ordered two and am going to put new ones in. The old ones are so stuck on the lower control arm I will have to cut and drill them off or get some other lower control arms from the junk yard I think. I did not try that fork shaped thing to get them off, but I did try a car jack and it did not have enough force. ..I dont think it helped them any though! (fix one thing, break something else. Thats my M.O.)

Gloyal I bought one new wheel bearing and the new wheel bearing would go on the new axle without forcing it when they were out of the vehicle. I had to put WD40 on and gently wiggle it and line it up just right so I think that it is okay (not junk axle and bearings) if it slides on when you get it lined up and gently work it? Interesting about the special tool for a slide hammer (whatever that is). I used a tool to push them out from the front, and my book tells of using a tool to put them in, but the guys at the subaru dealer parts department, as well as at O o o oreillys cheap auto parts both said they had never heard of using a tool to put them it. I will look into it for next time. It would have been nice. When I pushed them out one wheel bearing and the inside seal came off so I replaced them. I just put them on the new axle and pulled them in by tightening the castle nut to pull them through. This may be a bad Idea, but it was the best Idea I had at the time. I hope it does not have bad results later... Here is another question for you : What is up with slip yoke eliminator custom CV shafts? Is that something one could use on an EA82? Though I have dropped my engine and transmission, ultimately if it exists I would like to have custom axles that make the engine transmission drop unnecessary..do you know anything about these?

AK ghandi: Wish you were here. need to prob take mine off again because one side is making a funny noise, and I am really dreading it. Really the only problem is that I did not lower the radius arm with my transmission and engine so there is so much tension on it it takes two people to wrestle it back on. (yes, I know the obvious answer to that it lower the radius arm. nooo. I just want to drive the car for 15 minutes without having to work on the damn thing!)

Hi, I just put two new CV joints into my 1988 GL. Now it is making loud clunking type noises. (not when I turn, just occasionally when driving) My question is this: I put new seals on the inside. When I put them on I just used the new CV axles to pull them into place. It seemed to me they did not go in as far as the old ones did (which were snug against the wheel bearings). If I did not get my seals in far enough would that cause a noise or? Anyone know anything about this? They were a pain to change and it is so lame now that it is not all wonderful... Thanks, Patty

PRWA101: yeah, like the guy in that link you shared my inner seals were all melted on, but a screwdriver, hammer, vicegrips, and a little time was effective.

Bird Mobile: Thanks. Yeah, too much struggling down in the dirt over a couple days to keep my roters entirely clean. I plan to use break cleaner and clean them as good as I can before I put the wheels back on in a few minutes....

I got it sorted. The new bearing would not fit on, but the old bearing was still good (It just got pushed out with the old CV so thought I might as well replace) and the old bearing fit on so I put it on the Cv (with seal and metal spacer) and put it through, used thread and castle nut to pull in. I did not have to take the rotor and stuff off. Thanks!

Okay. That is good to know. By the way, if I need to clean and repack a wheel bearing what is the correct fluid to clean that with? Can I use break cleaner fluid or will that break down the new grease when I re-pack it? Do you know?

Hmmm. Maybe I will have to end up taking the roter and calipers off. God I dont want to. First I will try this freezer thing, and I will have to press the bearing back in if that does not work. (I do that with the end of an old CV joint that does fit on for whatever reason)

I will read your link...

Yeah. I am not opposed to that. My problem is the CV hits the first wheel bearing (I dont know if yours is the same, mine has two sets of wheel bearings with a metal spacer in between, as well as a seal on either outside edge. So my CV hits the first wheel bearing then it wont come far enough to get to the threads to pull it through that way. ( I think this is the case even if I remove that outter wheel peice ...I don't know what it is called, the round metal part in front of the brakes which the lug nut studs go through...) ...hmmm. I wonder if that is true. Maybe I should have tried that first. RIght now I took the wheel bearing closest to the inside of the car out and put it in the freezer. If I can get it to go on then I can put it on the axle and put that through far enough to thread the nut on the axle and pull it all on....

Hi, I have a 1988 GL lifted and I am replacing my CV's in the front. Problem is they are a b**** to get to go through the wheel bearings. I had purchased two re-manufactured ones (yes, I do know they are cheap crap, but I am poor) I thought perhaps they were the problem, so I got two new ones. One went in easy as pie, like a hot knife through butter. (of course I had to wiggle it gently coax it to get just right lined up) -but this second one! damn. I have the end of an old one and it goes in and out fine, but this new one....I even took the wheel bearing out and tried to put it on out of the car. no go. I now have the wheel bearing in the freezer hoping a little compression will help. Anyone experience this? If so what can you tell me? Thanks Patty

Subarocket: I will tell you two things I have discovered this week. One is I am now replacing the front CV axles now that the angle is better and they should last and in the process I see there is so much tension on the radius arm and yes, it really does also need to be spaced down. Two, I am still not convinced there is not a better solution than dropping the engine and transmission. The reason I say this is the shop that re-manufactured my engine originally told me there was a guy the owner knew who made custom longer axles for this situation...I never got the info, and no one else had heard of that/thought it made sense. Then at the auto parts store the guy started talking about something similar, saying look on lifted truck forum sites, that they do the same thing, have a custom axle called a "SLip Yoke eliminator custom CV shaft". I don't know anything about this yet and dont have time to look into it right now, I just need to get the damn car rolling, its my daily driver. Right now my problem is the cv wont go through the wheel bearing. So frustrating. I actually took the wheel bearing out and tried it by hand gently on the shaft and it still wont go. I put it in the freezer right now, hoping if it just contracts a tiny bit that will be enough...

AKghandi: Where did you get the spacers? In the automotive department or? (just needing to pick up spacers for that last bone shaped support on mine and wondering how to locate these ones you speak of...

Subarocket: I also think there are a few different opinions. One is that it is okay to just lift the tops for 2", that then you modify the boot of the CV by moving the end of it closer and/or putting on a silicon boot, and/or spraying it with silicon spray and/or getting a high quality boot or and it is okay. Another is that you also drive it REALLY carefully, slow starts, less than full turns etc. Another is that you do have to drop the engine and Transmission, with/without dropping the radius rod, with/without dropping the bone shaped support at the back end of the transmission, with/without extending the steering coupler. Also these things are affected by how much you lift the tops, combined with how much you drop the bottom. and I think people have slightly different years and types of cars (power steering, non power, etc.) that affect how it happens. If I knew info from the beginning BEFORE I went through FIVE CV joints I prob would have just found rebuilt originals with silicone boots and moved the boot end. But since I had already gone through so many I did not want to F-around anymore. I just wanted to fix it so it would be decent and I can hopefully move on to a phase of my life that is not all about changing CV joints. I would like to move on to other areas of the car!

ysterdyisgone: I will prob try an inch. Haven't got to it yet. Pulled the engine out of a friends 1999 sub outback yesterday -we just tied it to two two long two by fours with rope underneath and lifted it out on our shoulders cause we did not have a cherry picker, and today I actually had non-car related activities to take care of in my life lol. What a shocker. I will prob go spray the bolts under there tomorrow though and let it sit to loosen for a day. Subarocket: I think the people who do it all the time just know it, and when they describe it to someone they just assume that other person knows things they know, or at least knows their way around a car. It did seem to take a little bit of conversation for me to mentally put together a list of all the aspects involved....it would have been nice to have a straight forward list, but when I asked things like 'what else should I watch out for?' overall people chimed in with the little things like the radiator hose and the wires under the fan, the skid plate, etc. ...I guess no one mentioned the protective thing around the fan...but mostly people informed me of the details. . Maybe there are car books out there on customizing your rig. If not, I guess the market is ripe for someone to write one!